The Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group has signed 10memorandums of understanding (MoU) with foreign companies for an annualsupply of about 20 million tonnes of coal.
The Ministry ofIndustry and Trade (MoIT) said that the companies with whom the MoUshave been signed are from Indonesia, Australia and Japan.
TheVietnam Oil and Gas Group also signed contracts with Australian firmEnsham Coal Sales and Peabody, Indonesian firm Tuah Turangga Agung andJapanese firm Sojitz Corporation, besides an MoU with Indonesian firmNoble Group, for the supply of a total 10 million tonnes of coal a yearto meet the demand of its thermal power plants.
According to theNational Power Master Plan VII for the period 2011-20 with a vision to2030, thermal power will comprise a large portion of the country's powersupply. Therefore, the demand for coal in power production will behigh, while the domestic coal supply is not sufficient.
Theministry forecast that Vietnam will have to import an estimated 3million tonnes to 4 million tonnes of coal in 2016, 35 million tonnes in2020 and 80 million tonnes in 2025, as well as 135 million tonnes in2030, for producing electricity.
However, a large quantity of imported coal will be difficult to get because of unstable supply.
Vietnamcan import coal from four countries, namely Indonesia, Australia andRussia, besides South Africa. In August, 41,500 tonnes of Russian coalarrived at Hon Net Port in the north-eastern Quang Ninh province.-VNA